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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Jobsearch

For well over a year I searched in the traditional manner for a “job”. I was interview a few times, even a finalist on occasion. But no offers. In August of this year (2017) I noticed that one of my professional associations, PRSA, offered a job center. I had posted my resume on the site early in my search, but had not used any other services. I clicked on “review your resume” for free. This was a lesson in humility. Trust me. After reading the evisceration of my carefully crafted and often revised resume, I opted to pay for a professional rewrite. It was less than $150. Worth it. But not in the way you would think.

I was able to have several back and forths via email with the person doing the rewrite. I called the company and was told that if I wanted to speak to the individual it would cost $50. Not happening. So the email exchange continued.

We got as far as we could go. I do believe that without voice to voice contact the person helpng was at a disadvantage. It was, however, useful to see reflected back to me, through the lense of a professional resume writer, what the sum, or at least the most recent 15 years, of my life’s experiences looked like.

It wasn’t me. Not the person that my friends and colleagues know.

Lesson learned: I’m not going to get a “job” in any standard fashion. And I’m okay with that. The process was enormously valuable.

The great gift from this process is finding my voice. My unique and authentic voice as a writer.